Developmental milestones record - 5 years
This article describes the skills and growth markers relevant to 5-year-old children.
Information
Physical and motor skill milestones for a 5-year-old child may include:
- Gains about 4 - 5 pounds per year
- Grows about 2 - 3 inches per year
- Vision has reached 20/20
- Erupting the first permanent teeth (most children do not get their first permanent teeth until age 6)
- Developing increased coordination
- Skipping, jumping, and hopping with good balance
- Maintaining balance while standing on one foot with eyes closed
- Showing increased skill with simple tools and writing utensils
- Can copy a triangle
- Spreads with a knife
Sensory and cognitive milestones:
- Vocabulary increasing to over 2,000 words
- Composing sentences of 5 or more words, and with all parts of speech
- Identifying coins
- Counting to 10
- Knows telephone number
- Properly naming the primary colors and possibly many more
- Questioning more deeply, addressing meaning and purpose
- Responding to "why" questions
- Behaving more responsibly and apologizing for mistakes
- Decreasing aggressive behavior
- Outgrowing earlier childhood fears
- Accepting other points of view (but may not understand them)
- Demonstrating increased mathematical skill
- Questioning others, including parents
- Strongly identifying with the parent of the same sex
- Having a group of friends
- Engaging in imaginative play (for example, a trip to the moon)
Ways to encourage a 5-year-old's development may include:
- Reading together
- Providing the necessary space for physical activity
- Instructing the child to participate in -- and learn the rules of -- sporting activities
- Encouraging the child to play with other children, which helps develop social skills
- Playing creatively with the child
- Monitoring both the time and content of television viewing
- Visiting local areas of interest
- Encouraging the child to take responsibility for small household chores, such as helping set the table or picking up toys after playing
Alternative Names
Normal childhood growth milestones - 5 years; Childhood growth milestones - 5 years; Growth milestones for children - 5 years
References
Update Date: 5/12/2012
Updated by: Jennifer K. Mannheim, ARNP, Medical Staff, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Seattle Children's Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc.
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